SEAL's Technique Box Set (A Navy SEAL Romance)

by Claire Adams

  “Thanks again,” I said to him, trying to diffuse the electricity of the moment between us. “I really do appreciate this.”

  He smiled his heart-stopping smile. “I just want to make sure they get punished for this. And that nothing like it happens again. Anyways, that's all, I guess. I'll deal with those two delinquents tomorrow. We’ll let ‘em get comfortable and think they got away with it. I better get going. I hope you ladies enjoy the rest of your night.”

  “Would you like a drink, Wade?” Leena asked.

  He got up and shook his head. “I appreciate the offer, Leena, but I'm afraid I can't. I have some, uh, business to attend to that just can't wait. I'll see you girls tomorrow on the court, though.”

  “Uh,” I grinned and began pointing at my bandaged ankle.

  “Oh, uh, yeah, that's right,” he said. “I guess I won't be seeing you on the court, Eryn. You just take it easy and let that ankle heal up. I’ll check on you later. I will see you, though, Leena. All right, ladies, I’m going to get going. Have a good evening.”

  “Bye, Wade,” I said.

  “Have a good night, Wade,” added Leena as she walked him to the door.

  “Bye, ladies,” he said, and with that, Leena closed the door behind him.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Wade

  I left Eryn's place the night before feeling weird. For more reasons than one.

  On the one hand, of course, I'd been happy about the fact that my plan had worked and I'd managed to find out that Tammy and Kelly were behind her injury. I was still having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that Tammy had deliberately tripped Eryn. It was just petty and childish. But, justice would be served. I had every intention of making sure that nothing like that ever happened again on my team.

  On the other hand, it had been a little strange to be in Eryn's apartment like that: her home, her personal space, the place where she slept, ate, and went about her life.

  I'd felt that familiar tension simmering between us the moment I walked in — that raw, burning desire that we were both trying so hard to suppress. It hadn't gone away on my end, and I felt like it hadn't gone away on hers, either.

  There was nothing we could do about it, though. It was frustrating, exceedingly so. I couldn't help wondering if, and hoping, the feelings would resolve themselves over time, wondering if they'd go away. At the moment, it seemed as if they weren’t going anywhere.

  All I could do was try not to think about it. I had needed a distraction. When I got home, I’d called the university’s athletic director and discussed the situation with him to make sure I was going about removing Tammy and Kelly from the team in a way that was in line with the school’s protocol.

  Once we finished our discussion, I put on a movie and kicked back on my sofa, trying to keep myself distracted. But my mind didn’t stay on the movie. It was on Eryn and the interesting day I knew I had to look forward to. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep.

  The first thing I did when I woke up was send Tammy and Kelly a message letting them know I needed to speak with them in my office that morning and coordinated a time they could both meet there. We were scheduled for ten o’clock.

  They showed up a few minutes after ten and by the time they did, I had stewed over the situation all morning. I was already teetering on the edge of losing it when I saw them, especially Tammy, who showed up with a flirty, smug grin on her face.

  All I could think about was that I was about to wipe that grin right off her overpainted lips. Just the thought of what she had done to Eryn had my blood boiling.

  “Sit down,” I said, my eyes cold and my lips tight.

  They each took a seat across from me. Dan, one of my assistant coaches, slipped into the back of my office, just as I had asked him to earlier that morning. I needed a witness to the meeting as suggested by the school’s athletic director. Dan stood quietly in the back.

  “So, what's going on, Wade?” Tammy asked, glancing over her shoulder at Dan with a confused look on her face. “I hope you’ve called us in here to tell us you're going to be putting us back on the starting lineup.”

  I chuckled, truly amused she would even think that was a possibility. “Um, no. That's not what this meeting is about, not at all. In fact, I'm gonna let you two do the talking,” I informed them.

  “What?” Tammy asked.

  “I don’t understand,” Kelly added. “What do you want us to talk about?”

  I put my phone on the desk and played the audio recording for them. I watched coldly as their smug expressions quickly turned to expressions of horror, shock, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d have said even a little guilt.

  “Do you two have anything to say for yourselves?” I asked.

  Silence.

  I continued. “Tammy, you deliberately tripped Eryn, which caused her to get injured. Kelly, you knew about it, encouraged it, and laughed about it. So, I’ll ask again: do you two have anything to say?”

  They both sat silent for a moment; neither dared to make eye contact with me. Suddenly, though, Tammy looked up at me with defiant anger in her gaze.

  “All right, Wade, so you think you caught us. Well, why don't you tell me, what are you gonna do about this?”

  “You’re both being expelled from the team. That’s what I’m doing. Don't bother coming to practice this afternoon. You're out. Pick a new sport, or pick a new university.”

  Kelly immediately started crying, but I had no sympathy for her. Tammy, however, remained resilient and defiant. “Ya know, I thought you were cool, Wade. I really did. But now I realize that you're nothing. You're just a washed-up has-been who's old and lame and long past his prime.”

  I chuckled dryly. “I feel terribly hurt by your words, Tammy,” I retorted, my tone dripping with sarcasm. “Now leave. And don't come back.”

  “I sure hope you’ve saved up plenty of money from your pro career, Wade, because you're going to need it,” Tammy threatened.

  “Oh really? And why is that?” I asked, glancing back at Dan who was shaking his head at her behavior.

  She grinned maliciously. “My dad is the most powerful lawyer in this county. And when I tell him about what's happened, your ass is gonna be sued for all its worth – and more. You'll be living on the street by the time he’s finished chewing you up.”

  I tapped my phone slowly with my forefinger. “I don't care how good a lawyer he is. He's gonna have a real hard time defending this evidence in front of any judge. The school’s athletic director and the athletic board will be receiving copies of the recording. I am following their protocols. So, good luck.”

  “Fuck you, Wade,” she spat as she got up. She kicked her chair over and then yanked Kelly out of hers. “Stop crying, you stupid little shit,” she hissed at her. “Let's get the fuck out of this shithole of an office!”

  “Have a nice day, girls,” I said flatly to them.

  Tammy stormed out, dragging Kelly behind her. She huffed at the assistant coach as she pushed past him and slammed the door shut with violent force. After she was gone, I let out a long, slow sigh.

  “That went well,” Dan joked from his position by the door.

  “Yeah, about as well I expected, I suppose.”

  “Could have been worse. She could have really showed herself,” he chuckled.

  I laughed. “I can only imagine. Thanks for sitting in, Dan. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem. I’m gonna get back to my office. Call me if you need me,” he said before stepping out into the hall and closing the door behind him.

  The meeting had been pretty intense, but I was glad I had been able to deal with it, and that it was over. Next, I had to write up an official report about the incident and submit it along with the recording to the athletic board.

  When I was finished, I saved my copy to the school’s cloud server in my folder, printed a copy, and headed out to the university's administration block, a 10-minute walk away, to turn in the report and let them copy the
recording for the file.

  As I left the sports building, I had the strange feeling someone was watching me. I couldn't quite explain it, but my senses were on edge. I looked around, but didn’t see anyone. Of course, the area between the sports building where the coaching offices were located and the next campus building was fairly secluded, so there wasn’t a lot of foot traffic during the morning hours, aside from a jogger here and there using the paths circling the entire campus.

  I was making my way along the path through an area of greenery surrounded by a section of trees when I heard a jogger coming up behind me. Without looking back, I stepped aside to make room for him or her pass.

  Then, out of nowhere, a blinding flash of light exploded inside my head with concussive force. My knees buckled beneath me as my senses began to reel. I dropped down as the world swam around me, but somehow, through my shock and confusion, I was aware that I was being attacked.

  Another pounding impact smashed into the side of my head, and I saw a young, powerfully-built guy step out in front of me, cocking his fist for another punch. I couldn't see his face because he was wearing a sweatshirt with the hood pulled up over his head and a bandanna wrapped like a mask around his face, covering everything below his eyes.

  Even though I was dazed, I managed to duck his wild swing and counter with a sharp right cross that caught him in his right eye.

  He howled in pain and jumped back, but the damage his two punches had done to me was significant, and I couldn't maintain my balance any longer. I crashed to the ground, and the last thing I saw was his foot rocketing toward my face. Next, there was a blinding flash of light behind my eyes, and then...nothing.

  I didn’t know how long I was out, but when I woke up, there were a few students around me.

  “He's waking up!” called a concerned-looking young guy with glasses and shoulder-length, brown hair.

  “Just hang in there, Coach Vinson,” said a pretty girl with dreadlocks. “The nurse is on her way.”

  “Wh-what the hell happened?” I asked, mumbling and confused.

  The girl with dreads spoke. “You got mugged or something,” she said. “I was sitting by that tree over there and I saw the whole thing. Some guy in a white hoodie came running up behind you and sucker punched you from the back. He smacked you right in the side of the jaw, and then he hit you again on the side of your head.

  “I saw that you tried to fight back, but I think that first sucker punch must’ve hit you hard. You went down pretty quick, and then he kicked you in the head and took your phone and wallet.

  “My friends tried to chase him down, but he was too fast, and he got away. And we couldn't see who he was ‘cause he had this bandanna around his face. He was a young, white guy, though, real jacked, about six foot or so. His hood came off as he was sprinting away and we saw that he had short, blond hair, real stylish.

  “I dunno if it'll help identify him, but we're willing to testify if the guy gets caught somehow,” the chatty girl finally finished.

  “Thanks, I appreciate that,” I said as I got up slowly.

  My head ached, and I was feeling groggy from being knocked out. The nurse arrived shortly after, and she asked me some questions and checked my eyes, looking for dilation of the pupils. Luckily, it seemed I didn't have a concussion or anything serious.

  “You just give me a call if you need me, Coach. Got it?” she insisted.

  “Yes, ma’am,” I replied. I thanked her for her help and continued on my way to the administration building.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Eryn

  It was weird having the afternoon off and being out in the shopping mall with the sun still out. I was so used to being on the indoor volleyball court every afternoon, and only getting out when the sun was going down. This injured ankle had thrown everything out of whack.

  I'd only had three classes to attend for the day and had gotten all of my reading and assignments done by lunchtime, so it was either sit in the apartment all afternoon waiting for Leena to come back, or get out and get some fresh air.

  I'd decided to go down to the mall to get an ice cream. After all, I was injured and feeling kinda miserable, so I needed a little treat to pick me up a bit.

  I ordered a double cone — dark chocolate and caramel. I figured if I was gonna do this, I may as well go all out and seriously treat myself.

  I sat down at one of the tables directly in the warmth of the sun shining down from the glass ceiling and waited for the girl who took my order to bring it over to me. She had been kind enough to offer since she noticed the crutches.

  Just as I sat down, my phone rang. Perfect timing. I took it out of my bag and saw that it was my mom. I wondered if I should tell her about my injured ankle, but quickly decided against it. I didn't want her to worry, as she already had enough things on her plate to worry herself about.

  “Hey, Mom,” I answered as cheerfully as I could manage.

  “Hello, my sweet girl! How are you?” she asked.

  “I'm good, I'm good. How are you feeling?”

  “I'm definitely on the up and up. Feeling like I'm getting better. I really am feeling a lot better than I was.”

  “That's great to hear, Mom. So, what's up?”

  “Oh, I was just wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight?”

  I wanted to, really, I did. But if I went over there, she'd see the crutches and the bandaged ankle and make a big fuss over me when she needed to be concentrating on getting better, and of course, I didn't want that.

  “Uh, sorry, Mom, I can't. Not for the rest of the week, in fact. It's just a super heavy week for assignments. I have so many due this week, and so much to do, I just have to buckle down and get them done.” I hated not being honest with her, but it was for a good reason…at least, that’s what I told myself.

  “All right, dear, I understand. I’m so proud of you for being so studious,” she crooned.

  “Thanks, Mom. We’ll have dinner this weekend, for sure, all right? We'll get together and make your favorite meal.”

  “I'd like that.”

  “Me, too,” I told her. We talked for a few more minutes about Annie and a few other things before Mom got another call and we had to hang up.

  I cut the call off and sighed. This whole ankle thing was messing with my life. I was just about to get all mopey when the ice cream arrived, and the sight of it immediately made me feel better.

  I dug the spoon in and savored the cold, sweet creaminess of it in my mouth. It immediately made me forget the sulky mood I was fighting. For someone who was very strict with her diet, it felt damn good to “cheat” once in a while.

  While I was enjoying the delectable ice cream, I did a little people watching. The top level of the mall was the perfect perch for it. I could see down to both levels below me.

  Three spoons’ full of ice cream in, I noticed a very familiar figure walking toward the courtyard of a coffee shop just below me. A commanding, masculine figure, dressed in a tight T-shirt that revealed his perfectly sculpted muscles, while his equally perfect hair gleamed in the light above his handsome face – a face that seemed to have been temporarily marred by a swollen black eye.

  Tim, my ex.

  And there, waiting for him at a table, was a young woman dressed in an excessively revealing outfit – a young woman whom I recognized instantly despite the large sunglasses she was wearing to hide her face. She got up and not only hugged Tim, but also gave him a long, passionate kiss as he placed his hands firmly on her ass and squeezed.

  Tammy.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Wade

  I couldn’t believe that I'd just been mugged, right here on campus. It wasn't that I was feeling bad about the fact that my phone and wallet were gone. They were replaceable, as annoying as it would be to get all the cards replaced and having to get a new phone, but rather how brazenly this attack had taken place, just out in the open like this.

  It took a little longer than planned, b
ut I made it to my destination and sat down with the athletic director, Jack Strauss, and explained what had happened with Tammy and Kelly during the meeting.

  Jack looked over my report and nodded. “All right, well, let's just have that audio recording, and we'll begin proceedings against these two students.”

  Then it hit me: my phone was gone. “Damnit,” I murmured.

  “What's the problem, Wade?”

  I explained what had just happened to me with the attack. “Hmm,” he said. “Well, that's awful. You okay?”

  I nodded. “Good, glad to hear it. But, as much as I hate to say it, without that evidence, we don't have a case. Did you make a backup of the recording?”

  I shook my head. “No. Didn’t really cross my mind that I needed to. I guess that's the only copy – the one that was on my phone.”

  He sighed and shook his head. “Without that recording, we have no case, and there’s no way we can take action without it.”

  “Seriously? There's nothing you can do?” I asked.

  “I wish there were. Kinda ticks me off that they’d do something like that and be able to get by with it. But, there is the consideration we have to take about Tammy's father. He is a prominent lawyer, and without a watertight case, he could make life very...difficult for you and this whole department. He could drag us into a legal battle that would last not only months, but potentially years. And we both know the university wouldn’t allow that.” Jack’s expression showed remorse.

  I put my head in my hands. “So, there really is nothing we can do?”

  “Not without that recording.”

  I stood up, feeling a horrible mixture of anger, disappointment, and helplessness. “Well, I guess we're done then,” I said, my voice dripping with disappointment.

  “I am truly sorry, Wade, but this is a battle we cannot afford to get into without something to back it up.”

  “I understand, Jack. Thanks for your help.”

  “Let me know if you get your phone back,” he said as I left his office. I nodded an acknowledgement.